


been looking so hard

by boneclaws



Category: The Greatest Showman (2017)
Genre: Crushing, M/M, P.T. Appreciation Station
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 04:16:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17134787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boneclaws/pseuds/boneclaws
Summary: Phillip convinces himself it's normal to stare at the ringmaster that came before him.





	been looking so hard

**Author's Note:**

  * For [barnumxcarlyle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/barnumxcarlyle/gifts).



Phillip thinks he has a little problem.

But at least it isn't a huge, life-ruining problem. He's still happy. His family's started to accept his lot in life. And since the regenesis of the circus, it's been running more or less as smooth as the finest butter. As smooth as the creamiest milk. As smooth as, dare he say, Phineas' dance moves.

Phineas' firm steps. Phineas' rolling hips. Phineas' bouncing shoulders, and thick arms, and bright smile and pirouettes and long strides and...

Yeah, okay. It's more than a little problem.

But it's a common problem, he's sure. That's kind of the reason Phineas was ringmaster for as long as he was-- the guy walks into a room and he lights it up, even if that room is just the crappily-lit flat Phillip's taken to living in while the circus is still trying to get back on its feet. The mould on the wall looks like modern art splatter when Phineas stands by it. The peeling wallpaper looks like the remnants of an old castle room instead of "the best you can get for dirt cheap in Manhattan". The place smells less like the rats that died in the ceiling and more like the fascinating combination of scents that Phineas wears to mask the perpetual peanut smell.

Phillip doesn't even hear the floor creaking when Phineas shows him the right way to tap dance, distracted as he is by the way his legs move (the powerful flex of his _thighs_ \-- _Jesus_ , is that normal? What kind of exercise does Phineas do, anyway?). Phineas teases him about it-- "Think this is the most focused I've seen you outside of budget meetings!" is what he says as Phillip stares at the absurdly adorable tilt of his mouth when he talks-- and is suitably entertained when, despite Phillip's religious laser focus on him, he a) completely fails to copy his example; and b) trips a few times, reminding him that the floor does, in fact, creak. Pretty loudly, actually.

So Phineas tries another tactic. Tells Phillip to stand by his side, and they'll go through the steps together-- slowly, at the same time. Phillip says he's fine with this, stands at Phineas' side, and keeps his gaze focused on his feet.

...and then his ankles. And then the shapes of his calves. And then, when Phineas spins to his side, the swell of his ass and-- _and_!

* * *

And he decides to talk to Charles about it later that night.

Phillip struggles desperately to keep casual about it. "P.T.'s a handsome guy, right?"

And Charles, fixing the Napoleon hat on his head, obliterates him instantly with, "Yeah, but I'm not gonna talk to you about his butt or anything."

Lettie laughs where she's fixing her make-up. Phillip throws his hat at her. All this happens around the sound of Charles triumphantly chirping something along the lines of _he's only second most handsome after me; you know that, right?_

W.D. has the same sentiments-- yes, Phineas is definitely handsome. Vassily blushes when asked, but admits that Phineas is the kind of person he wants to lift and hug to his chest. Even O'Malley says he'd only tried to nick his watch because it was slightly more acceptable than groping his thigh. In this exact same fashion the rest of the male-identifying circus ensemble agrees that Phineas is terribly good-looking, and this leads to Phillip's scientific conclusion that his problem is a universal problem, which means he shouldn't be worried about it.

* * *

Except the next time Phineas rolls around for another dance session, Phillip turns dumbstruck all over again.

There is just something to be said about the man in casual attire-- not dressed like a ringmaster in regal reds and golds, but in a loose white shirt and black trousers that bring out the fantastic curves of his legs. Back when he was ringmaster, up on stage with bright lights and rings of fire and a booming song in his chest, Phineas looked untouchable, like a god of old. But as a man, like this, laughing at Phillip's attempts to dance, standing in this health hazard of a flat whilst dressed in casual wear...

Well. As a man, Phillip finds it impossible to resist giving him a hearty pat on the ass when Phineas squeezes his shoulder to praise his heel twist.

Phineas' grin doesn't waver, but he does stare down at him in surprise. Phillip, caught between laughing it off and furiously pulling his hand away, ends up _hahaha_ -ing desperately as his brain signals fail and make him tighten his grip that much more instead.

Phineas' lashes flutter. Phillip is absolutely certain he has no idea how gorgeous he is.

So, okay-- maybe the problem shouldn't be how attractive he finds his former boss. Phillip decides this when he has the man on his floor and Phineas' arching back and digging ankles cause the wooden boards to creak in a dangerous way. Maybe the problem is that his flat is terrible and smelly and he needs to move out. But is he going to think about that as he kisses Phineas' inner thigh? No. Is it possible to think of _anything_ but the way Phineas' breath catches when he licks along the flexing muscle in his leg? No.

Phillip is going to find a better flat to live in tomorrow. For now, he's just going to relish the way Phineas' fingers tighten in his hair when he bites marks into his thighs, and how scandalous the man groans when Phillip promises he's going to fuck between them later.

**Author's Note:**

> bottom phin rights


End file.
